Don’t Build on Borrowed Land: Times Internet COO on the Shift to Reader Relationships
Puneet Gupt, COO of Times Internet, warned publishers at WAN-IFRA’s Digital Media India event that the era of prioritizing traffic over audience relationships is ending, urging a shift toward building trust-led revenue models.
Gupt, speaking on August 4, 2026, highlighted a “structural shift” in how publishers acquire traffic, arguing that reliance on search algorithms and third-party platforms has eroded direct reader engagement. “We were busy building traffic. We were not building audiences,” he said, criticizing the industry’s focus on optimizing for “crawlers” rather than loyal readers.
The shift, he argued, is driven by evolving search algorithms and AI advancements, which he described as an “ecosystem change” rather than a simple technical adjustment. Publishers must now prioritize “realigned businesses” to thrive, he said, urging them to avoid “building on borrowed land.”
Gupt outlined a “playbook” for publishers to adapt, emphasizing the need for AI-native operations. This involves rethinking workflows to embed artificial intelligence at the core of content creation and distribution. Times Internet’s content management system (CMS), for example, supports fluid transitions from trending keywords to articles, videos, and photo stories in multiple languages.
“It’s not an afterthought, but the way the CMS has been rebuilt. It’s a core part of what we do,” Gupt said. However, he stressed that AI integration must extend beyond the CMS to all operational areas. “You have to leverage AI in everything that you do. That’s going to increase revenue, reduce costs, shorten time to market, and grow the efficiency of teams,” he added.
A second pillar of Gupt’s strategy is fostering direct audience relationships, which he said many publishers have neglected. “How do you make money through trust? How do you make money by investing in the readers and through attention, not distraction?” he asked.
Times Internet has expanded into audience-driven offerings, including ETPrime, a premium paywalled service, and niche publications like Times Health+ and TOI Homes. Gupt emphasized that such models require publishers to “respect your customers, have consent-based data, and create high-value products.”
“This is not about the same set of businesses. The idea is, what can you build on the back of a trusted relationship?” he said.
Gupt positioned trust as a “conversion multiplier,” arguing that it accelerates revenue growth by deepening reader engagement. He cited data showing that audience members transitioning from ad-supported platforms to Times Internet’s ecosystem saw significant increases in average revenue per user (ARPU).
“Trust will always convert better than any conversion funnel,” he said. By embedding trust into business models, publishers can become integral to readers’ critical decisions, such as health, education, and real-estate choices.
Gupt warned that the window for transformation is closing rapidly. “The runway is short,” he said, stressing that publishers must act simultaneously on all aspects of the playbook. He criticized the industry’s previous pace, noting that features once taking three months now require “one week” and products “two weeks.”
“We all know that time is limited. Traffic is declining, and we have to move fast,” he said. The “ad click era is over,” he concluded, heralding the dawn of a “relationship era” where publishers must “connect to our customers, know our customers.”